1./Kompagnie Infanterie-Regimant 23 (1./J.R. 23) is seeking recruits for der Kaiser's Armee. This is an older unit that is re-forming. Our attitude is that we are in this for both autneticity AND fun.We recognize that every unit has it's own ideas and plans -- so do we! Our plans are to build a unit that believes in authenticity and fun! Fun in a hobby cannot be stressed enough! This isn't the real military and we recognize that our members are volunteers; dedicated volunteers though they be!

Among other things we plan to focus on, are First-Person Impressions along with trying to use German as much as possible while in the line. Our unit plans are to eventually build a bunker at the GWA's Newville battlefield, along with a proper trench line. We also hope to have a positive influence on fellow units in those areas.

Here's the deal with the West Coast. The Jack Rabbit Trails site was abandoned due to the influx of vandals, drunks with shotguns, paintballers and mother nature. At one point it was being passed around that the land was going to be sold off, that never happened. The fact of the matter is that the site was not secure and it was constantly being vandalized (the ANZAC bunker was literally ripped out of the ground and stolen...yeah the whole thing).

The decision was made to let it go. Too much blood, sweat, and tears were going into the place to see it destroyed every year. The German line lost 4 bunkers within a couple years. Are there WW1 units still out here? Yes. Are they active? Yes, but only at timeline events such as Marching Through History, History of Heroes, and Ft Mac. IR 23 still has members that come out. My unit 45th Co 3/5 USMC, is not active. All the members are WW2 reenactors as well and have primarily been attending those events.

GWHS website. I was running the website out of my pocket which I was fine with, but unfortunately things have gotten real tight with my wife not working full time due to her back injury. I had to close the site. There is a Yahoo group here:

There have been efforts by a couple of members to find a new battlefield out here but there is really no such thing as cheap land out here unless you want to portray Lawrence of Arabia in the Mojave desert, so there haven't been any developments on a new field. So there it is in a nutshell. Rob if you want contact info for IR 23 let me know and I'll get with you offline. The head honchos for the IR23/6th Sturmpionier units haven't really bought into the whole internet thing yet.

He did...I built the website and paid for the domain name and server space. I finally decided not to renew due to zero interest from the group and general apathy- it was costing me a $100 a year that could be better spent elsewhere. Also, since Fritz has focused on doing the Napoleonic era (a period that I have ZERO interest in), I didn't see the point of spending money on something that nobody else seemed interested in.

The only thing that was holding the unit together was busting caps at JRT, what "unit" we had pretty much fell apart when the GWHS decided to abandon JRT. Efforts to continue on with the 2nd Chev (i.e. attend public events, etc.) pretty much met with no interest and the usual BS excuses.

So now I have an impression that to a great degree is useless...hence the refocusing on doing American (plus we needed the numbers for the public events that we do).

Ah, there's the rub! Unless Donald Trump becomes a WWI reenactor, we're pretty screwed here- land is way too expensive (in an area that can be used that's not in the middle of the desert) and what potential sites that exist are too close to "civilization". Combined with the Kalifornia BS gun laws, it's next to impossible.

Also, to be honest, not enough people out here care enough to do the legwork to make another site happen- I've heard plenty of talk but seen no action and I don't have the $$ to do it on my own (been there, done that and got the shaft for it).

However, for the few who have stuck with it, there's a pretty decent timeline event coming up in Bakerfield, CA in late April- the organizers have set aside a large area for us and are willing to dig whatever trenches we desire and supply sand bags. Last year, they went all out for us, far greater than what we expected or would have asked for. It's not perfect but it's pretty decent.

Well, I'd love to be affiliated with a German WWI Unit just in case anything out here in the Ole West opens up.... I am not one with the wherewithall to go to out of state events, but Holz, Marsh, whomever, sign me up, put me on your List, as a a Grunschnabel :-)

Well, I've sort of wanted to start either a n Austro-Hungarian unit (Because I have many family members that were drafted and fought with them), a French unit, or an American unit. I remember that at Marching Thru History there was one unit doing a French impression, does anyone know there email address?

Well, I've sort of wanted to start either a n Austro-Hungarian unit (Because I have many family members that were drafted and fought with them), a French unit, or an American unit. I remember that at Marching Thru History there was one unit doing a French impression, does anyone know there email address?